


Café Apologies

by pendle_witch



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Apologies, Female Friendship, Friendship, Light Angst, Post-Villa, lottie/bobby have broken up, the Gary/MC is only mentioned briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-17 03:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20614460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pendle_witch/pseuds/pendle_witch
Summary: MC meets Lottie a few months after the villa to catch up. Lottie apologies for her behaviour.





	Café Apologies

**Author's Note:**

> I can't help loving Lottie despite the fact she acts crazy about MC/Gary. So I wrote this to reconcile things.
> 
> MC won with Gary, Lottie was coupled up with Bobby

The café that you’re meeting her in is small and cosy, with weak autumn sunshine streaming in through the windows. There’s bunting festooned around the walls, a kitsch cat clock that swings its tail back and forth behind the counter and the tables are painted teal, all reclaimed wood and unmatching. You approach the cluttered counter and give your name and reservation to the older lady behind the till, who smiles in recognition –  
‘She’s already here waiting for you, lovey. We’ve put your table in the reading nook at the back; thought you’d appreciate some privacy.’  
You thank her, and head to the back of the small café, ducking under an exposed beam.  
You spot Lottie immediately, a tower of black leather amongst the fluff and froth of the café. She’s leaning back in her chair, fiddling with a long stiletto shaped nail. Her face is wan and drawn, as though she’s lost weight, and her cheekbones are prominent in her round face. Nevertheless, she’s dressed to kill, in tight leatherette trousers laced at the sides and a turtleneck that seems to have more mesh inserts than it does material. Her hair is ice-blonde still, but the ends have been dip-dyed a cool silver, and when she smiles at you, her lips crack beneath a thick layer of bluish-purple lipstick.  
‘Long time no see,’ she says, rising from her seat to greet you, ‘It’s so good to see you, MC.’  
She hugs you and her spicy perfume fills your nose.  
‘It’s lovely to see you too, Lottie.’  
You mean it. You haven’t always got on with the girl sat across from you, but you are her friend, truly. You’ve kept up your friendship with texts since leaving the villa and have seen her at official promotional events, but these have faded away now. When she suggested meeting for a cuppa and cake, you were more than happy to catch up.  
‘This doesn’t seem like your kind of place, Lottie,’ you say, looking around the room. The tablecloth in front of you is polka-dotted and pink. In fact, the general pastel-ness of the whole place gives it a glowing aura.  
‘I get really good vibes in here. I think they must do cleansing rituals. And besides, they do amazing afternoon tea – I’m a sucker for chocolate,’ she grins.  
The waitress comes over and you both agree to get the supposedly amazing afternoon tea. Lottie pours you both a cup, adding milk to yours.  
‘Was it the amazing baking that attracted you to Bobby?’  
A look passes over her face. She looks sad, a little uneasy. Her nails click together again, fiddling.  
‘Can we not talk about Bobby, hun? You must have seen all the shit in the papers about me and him.’  
You didn’t mean it as a serious comment. It was a joke. Everyone at this point knew that Lottie and Bobby hadn’t lasted outside the villa, hadn’t even tried.  
‘Sorry, Lottie. You know you can talk to me about it, if you want.’  
She pauses, lost in thought. A long nail aimlessly dips into the steaming tea and stirs it. When she looks at you, her eyes are glistening and shiny with tears.  
‘That’d be nice, to be honest. Everything’s been so messed up for me since I came out the villa. Everyone hates me. And I get why. I was such a bitch in there. I deserve the hate I’m getting for what I was acting like towards you and Priya and anyone else I fucked it up with my girl code thing. The thing is, hun, I don’t even know where it all came from,’ a sob hitches in her throat, and she swallows it, sipping her tea furiously, ‘I thought I was a good person. I know I can be a bit difficult and moody sometimes, but I don’t know who that was on the TV,’ she looks at you, her green eyes like saucers in her sunken face, and you see how much this has got to her.  
‘Babe, we all still loved you,’ you reach for her hand and she pulls away.  
‘I can’t believe you all did. The villa had me going mad with it all. I didn’t even know what my plan was half the time. You were all saints putting up with me.’  
She chews her lip and you’re impressed with how she manages not to disturb her dark lipstick.  
‘You especially, MC. I was such a cow to you about Gary. I’m so sorry. Really.’  
‘I know, Lots. You don’t have to say it again.’  
‘I feel like I do. People hate me. I get awful things in my DMs. When I left, people kept saying ‘Ding-dong the witch is dead’.’  
A tear begins to escape her eye, but she catches it with her pink napkin.  
‘Everything in the villa was so amplified. I made myself think me and Gary had something, when really, there was nothing. He only ever had eyes for you,’ she smiles then, glancing at your phone. She must have caught a glimpse of your lock-screen, a photo of you and Gary on holiday, or maybe she really is psychic.  
‘Lottie, it’s all water under the bridge, yeah.’  
The waitress plops down a tall cake-stand, full of gourmet looking cakes, fancies and desserts, and tops up your teapot. You take a still-warm scone, as Lottie picks a gooey looking fudge brownie.  
‘Thanks, MC. You’re a true friend.’  
Lottie’s delicate, pale fingers pick at her brownie. You decide to prod at the question that’s still on your mind, the elephant in the Islanders group chat.  
‘If you don’t mind, Lottie, what did happen with you and Bobby then?’  
She sighs.  
‘Truthfully? Nothing. Or nothing interesting. Me and him had no chemistry. I saw it in my leaves. I saw it everywhere, in fact. It was like the universe was telling me I was with the wrong guy. Maybe I should have taken it as a sign. I knew we were just mates, but still,’ she fans her face irritably, ‘As soon as we were out the villa, we went to separate hotel rooms. And then, that was it, really.’  
She studies the cakes intently, tapping her nails on her empty saucer.  
‘Bobby deserves the world. That’s not me. And, the thing is, everyone thinks I broke his heart. But we just didn’t have the spark,’ she clicks her fingers together at the last word, making you flinch.  
‘Sorry to hear that,’ you say, buttering a second scone.  
‘It’s ok. You’ve got lucky – winner of Love Island, found Mr Right and Prince Charming all in one. The public love MC.’  
There’s an edge to her voice, but you know that above all, she’s trying to make a joke. You humour her, calling her daft.  
‘I’m jealous of you, hun!’ she stops herself, as if thinking about her next words, ‘Actually, babe, I have been seeing someone. Just on the down-low.’  
Lottie tries to contain her pleasure at this, but her cheeks colour and you see that her lips can’t help but turn up at the corners.  
You beg for more information.  
‘It’s someone we both know, actually.’  
The circle of people you both know is very small and limited to ex-Islanders, really. You mentally go through, ticking off those still single or newly single in your head, and try your best guess.  
‘It’s not Kassam from Casa Amor, is it?’  
‘Got it in one,’ she smirks.  
You’re so happy for her. You thought she was an idiot for not bringing him back to the villa at the time, especially when her loyalty had lay with Rahim, and you all knew how well that had turned out.  
‘It’s early days…but things are going great. He’s so different to my usual type. So quiet. But maybe I need someone to chill me out,’ she can’t help smiling now and her features seem to soften, ‘I think I missed out on a good one there. I lost sight of myself in the villa. Cared too much about games and codes and other people. I wasn’t thinking about what I went there for.’  
She twirls her long curls in her fingers, bunching the silvery hair in ringlets.  
‘I’m hoping he’s the one for me.’  
‘Lottie, babe, you deserve it. You’ve come a long way. In a way, you might have found love on Love Island, even if it wasn’t in the way you expected!’ you laugh at your own joke.  
She scoffs at you.  
‘C’mon, MC. Let’s go get a cocktail or something.’  
You both leave your half of the bill on the table and stand up, Lottie towering over you in platform biker boots, and she links her arm in yours.  
‘Thanks,’ she mutters, ‘For being such a good friend. Even when I didn’t deserve it.’


End file.
